DUbai waTcH wEEk

TimE undEr THE middlE-EasT sun

Sharmila Bertin

I had been warned beforehand. “You’ll see, Dubai Watch Week is totally different from anything you’ve experienced up until now, it’s got a real chill atmosphere, virtually the opposite of the shows you’re used to going to”. I remember down to the very last letter what a colleague and friend had told me some time ago. So, yes, I was ready, I’d gleaned info from other journalists, I’d read all the details about Dubai Watch Week (or DWW, for those in the know) and about “how it rolled” before flying off to the United Arab Emirates. And, yet, I was surprised. By everything. The place, the organization, the brands present, the atmosphere. Everything. Dubai Watch Week was born out of a passion for measuring time, and was founded in 2015 by Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, the watch retailer of the Middleeast region that has been the must-of-

musts for over half a century now and that manages the distribution of fiftyodd brands that were virtually all present during the last edition of this young trade show already boasting international reach. Although the first edition had brought together some 2,500 visitors around 14 brands, this one, which took place from 24 to 28 November 2021, attracted nearly 17,000 people, 50 watch firms, and totalled over a dozen launches of new pieces.

Over the years, the programme was enhanced to include conferences, get-togethers and masterclasses, because as Hind Abdul Hamied

Seddiqi, Director General of DWW, explains in the preamble, “Our goal is to create an unparalleled educational, experiential and networking event”.

OvEr THE yEars, THE prOgrammE was EnHancEd TO includE cOnfErEncEs, gET-TOgETHErs and masTErclassEs.

dww is an OppOrTuniTy TO discOvEr nEw waTcHEs wHilsT discussing wiTH THEir crEaTOrs.

As well as these figures that keep growing with each edition, proving the success of the concept, visitor impressions are paramount. After 17 years in this business, I must admit that the fact that we weren’t stuck inside an impersonal, overheated, crowded exhibition hall, plays a key role in the wellness that flows over (and through) us once we step inside. Even though, in actual fact, there is no door: everything takes place outside and you have to weave your way from one block to the next to discover the stands. Historic brands such as Rolex, Audemars Piguet and Chopard have their own independent spaces, a bit like gigantic pop-up stores, where they showcase their products and greet customers and journalists, set up around a covered building. Here, we discover, grouped together in a row, all the firms that make watches, without any distinction between types of products, positioning, target or age. Young talents rub shoulders with old hands. I move from Ferdinand Berthoud to Laurent Ferrier, from Greubel Forsey to the exhibition of the watches that won awards in the Grand prix d'horlogerie de Genève; I interview Max Büsser and Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani about how the MB&F x Bvlgari co-creation came about (definitely one of the most exquisite pieces of 2021); I chat with a young stranger who’s holding his grandfather’s Zenith pocket watch in his hand – a pure delight! –; I sip a coffee in the sun with Rolf Studer, Oris co-CEO, from whom I borrow the new Big Crown Pointer Date whose navy-blue dial fascinates me, just to take a wristshot; I rush off to attend the

Horology Forum conference, with guest speaker Manuel Emch who is behind the amazing Louis Erard collaborations; I take time out at the Rebellion stand to discuss a bit with the firm’s CEO, Calim Bouhadra, who tells me just how delighted he is to be here at DWW and informs me of the upcoming opening of the brand’s first store.

Every single instant of my rich day rhymes with an encounter, a discussion, always informal and even totally natural. Even the meals that see a host of personalities come together – collectors, associates, creatives, managers – are an opportunity to share, to discover, to be spellbound. And, the fact that everything is readily accessible, in a laid-back atmosphere, makes connecting with people easy, whether you’ve met them before or not. At DWW, the old race literallyspeaking against time doesn’t exist where I generally have to run from one appointment to another to keep to my schedule. Here, you just need to go up to a stand, to say who you are if need be and come back a little later if there are too many people.

Amongst the firms exhibiting in the main building, there are some that I had never been able to approach for a variety of reasons. This time round, I discovered the wonderful Kanister that François-Marie Neycensas, the CMO of Reservoir, presented to me, then I listened to the explanation about the concept, which is both philosophical and architectural, of Trilobe watches, as I held a Nuit Fantastique Secret in my hand. DWW is also an opportunity for young creators just starting out and

© Dubai Watch Week / Halchimy / MB&F / Oris / Rebellion / Reservoir / Trilobe who can’t have their own stand (for the moment) as it boosts networking, and this led me to discuss with Kevin Oualli, the founder of Halchimy, along with his wife Anne. His story, which began with a dream, mesmerized me and I found the idea of his watches with modular, interchangeable lugs based on your mood really groundbreaking. Exactly the type of watchmaking treasure I love to uncover so that I can share them here, with you.

As a member of the press, the good fortune to be able to hold and handle timepieces after two complicated years and to glean information right there and then about specific models directly from the mouths of their creators is priceless. Of course, since 2019, we’ve participated in a few one-off, local events, with varying numbers of people based on the “limits” authorized, but none were on a par with the quality here, the people here, or the programme proposed here. This heterogeneous style – and I really must insist on the fact that nothing was categorized here and that everyone was on equal footing – means you leave enlightened, intellectually fulfilled, from the instructive four-day Dubai Watch Week experience. It ticks all the boxes of what we expect from an international watch show. And, this is the way I, personally, think contemporary watchmaking should be.